Texas Earthquakes Rattling Nerves

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Photo Credit: BreitbartWhen you think “earthquake,” you don’t exactly think of Texas but it continues to be seismic central in Dallas. On Sunday, January 11 at 7:46pm, the Richter scale hit magnitude 2.5. This newest shaker was centered in the City of Irving near the former site of the Texas Stadium, the site of much of the rumbling in North Texas. Although there has been no damage, it has rattled nerves, caused schools to run earthquake drills, and gotten some folks to ask about earthquake insurance policies.

The Dallas Morning News reported that the latest tiny temblor marked the 16th occurance. The most notable of the shakers came on Tuesday, January 6. It was a magnitude 3.5 and it was felt citywide across Dallas. The Sunday night quake was felt from East Dallas to Irving to Northwest Dallas, based on emails and tweets.

Previously, on Thursday, January 8, two mild shockwaves each measuring 1.9 magnitude rolled through the Dallas suburb of Irving at 4:08am and 7:24am, according to NBC-5. Both were centered near the same former site of Texas Stadium where 12 earthquakes already rocked the area to varying degrees. Later that day, a 2.7 magnitude shaker occurred at 2:12, approximately four miles west-northwest of Midlothian in Ellis County.

These are not big quakes by California standards but, relatively speaking, Texans are not used to feeling like they are living on top of the San Andreas Fault, which runs across so much of the state of California. The frequency of the shakers has not calmed any nerves in Dallas either.

In response to all the ground movement, on Friday, January 9, the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) Department of Emergency Management issued an earthquake preparedness information memo outlining procedures. It noted that before 2008, North Texas had no real discernible seismic activity. The memo stated that since that time, over 120 earthquakes have occurred in North Texas, mainly centered in Irving. (Read more about the Texas earthquakes HERE)

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Paul Ryan is not Running in 2016

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By NBC News. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2012, told NBC News in an interview Monday that he will not seek the presidency in 2016.

“I have decided that I am not going to run for president in 2016,” Ryan said in a phone interview, noting that he is “at peace” with the decision he made “weeks ago” to forgo a bid for the White House.

“It is amazing the amount of encouragement I have gotten from people – from friends and supporters – but I feel like I am in a position to make a big difference where I am and I want to do that,” he said.

The nine-term congressman believes he can make that “big difference” in his new role as chairman of the influential House Ways and Means Committee rather than as a presidential contender. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Campaigns are now Courting Teenagers

By Darren Samuelsohn. Coming soon to a battleground state near you: White House campaigns combining census reports with Instagram and Twitter posts to target teenagers who aren’t yet 18 but will be by Election Day 2016.

It’s an aggressive strategy with an obvious reward. More than eight million people will become legal adults eligible to vote for the first time by the next general election. Campaigns are eager to find ways to get through to these 16- and 17-year-olds who are still minors and, in most cases, more likely to be concerned with making it to class on time than who should be elected president.

“It’s got to be the right candidate with the right message to excite and motivate that age demographic, with so many distractions in their life, to register, and then turn out,” said Vincent Harris, digital director for Rand Paul’s political operation. (Read more from this story HERE)

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NYPD Barred from Vacation Time Until Arrests Increase

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Photo Credit: Breitbart By Dan Riehl. Across New York City, policemen are being put on notice by higher ups, get back to business as usual, or no vacations, or sick days, according to reports.

And borough commanders want to see the proof. “Throughout the city, precincts are being ordered to hand up to borough commanders ‘activity sheets’ indicating the number of arrests and summonses per shift…”

Said one union source, according to the New York Post, “Police officers around the city are now threatened with transfers, no vacation time and sick time unless they write summonses.”

Ironically, it was some of this very type of activity that has led NYPD critics to label them part of the problem, not the solution. At the same time, the slow down in issuing summonses is said to be impacting city revenue.(Read more about NYPD barred from vacation till they do more arrests HERE)

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Fox News’ Shepard Smith Interrupts and Then Hangs Up on NY Times Reporter (+video)

By Michael Hausam. This is a very fun watch with an important lesson at the end if you’re interested in calling in and reporting for Fox News.

During the live coverage of the Paris shootings, Shepard Smith had New York Times reporter Steve Erlanger on the phone. And Smith definitely did not like how Erlanger treated him. (Read more from this story HERE)

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White Genocide Billboard Posted in Birmingham

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For the second time in less than a year, a billboard near Birmingham is carrying a racial message connected to a segregationist screed.

Posted along I-59 near Springville in St. Clair county, the billboard says “Diversity means chasing down the last white person” and includes the hashtag #whitegenocide.

The billboard appears similar to one posted near Leeds in June 2013 which read “Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.” Though the billboard was within Birmingham city limits, Leeds mayor David Miller denounced that billboard’s “racist message” at the time due to its proximity to the city.

Both phrases are commonly used by the White Genocide Project, a group of white supremacist and separatist online activists. Their website refers to both slogans as “repeater phrases,” words and sentences activists are encouraged to use often.

The White Genocide Project is also connected to the “swarm,” and the groups follow the “Mantra,” written by a segregationist named Robert Whitaker. (Read more about the white genocide billboard HERE)

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Critics Say Obama’s Math Doesn’t Add Up on Free Tuition

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Photo Credit: Pete SouzaBy Brian Hughes. President Obama’s plan to provide free tuition to community college students has landed with a thud among number crunchers, who argue that overburdened states cannot afford to fund the White House idea.

As a political strategy, “free tuition” is as appealing a message as Obama could devise heading into his final two years in office. But when pressed on funding the measure, it gets messier for the White House.

Even if Obama had the backing of Republicans to spend $60 billion in federal funds on the education program — he doesn’t — the White House still would have a money problem.

States would be on the hook for $20 billion over the next decade to send students to community college, even at a time when statehouses are funding a shrinking share of their higher education programs.

“I don’t know how states would pay for this,” said Neal McCluskey, associate director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. “The assumption is states are willing to shell out more money if they can get additional federal dollars. But they’ll either have to raise taxes or slash spending somewhere else.” (Read more about how the free tuition won’t work HERE)

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Deciphering Obama’s Chemistry with Congress, or Lack of it

By Associated Press. He hardly ever calls. When he does, it’s all business.

And that’s President Barack Obama’s vibe with top Democrats on Capitol Hill.

With Republicans, there’s even less chemistry.

But GOP congressional leaders don’t show much inclination to buddy up to the president, either.

When the president sits down with eight top legislators — four from each party — at the White House on Tuesday, there’s little expectation it will usher in a new era of comity and cooperation. (Read more from this story HERE)

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City Removes Memorial for ‘Promoting Christianity,’ Pays $500k to Barry Lynn’s Extremist Group

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsBy Fox News. Until a few days ago, a war memorial in a public park in North Carolina included a metal sculpture depicting a soldier kneeling in prayer before a cross. But city officials voted to remove the sculpture to settle a lawsuit claiming the artwork promoted Christianity.

King, a small city of about 6,000 people 15 miles north of Winston-Salem, dedicated the memorial about a decade ago. But the statue was removed Tuesday night, immediately after The King city council voted 3-2 to end the lawsuit. Now, an empty hole can be seen where the statue once stood.

MyFox8 in Winston-Salem, reporting on the controversy the other day, said the memorial is on city-owned land but was paid for through private donations.

“Both sides in this matter wish to avoid further costs, and this agreement will ensure that the City of King will not spend additional taxpayers’ funds to continue litigation in federal court,” the city said in a statement after the vote.

As part of the agreement, the King City Council also said it would stop flying the Christian flag over the memorial and would pay $500,000 to Americans United for Separation of Church and State for the legal costs the group incurred bringing the lawsuit on behalf of local Afghanistan War veteran Steven Hewett. (Read more about the city removes memorial HERE)

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Pastor Brags About Beating Jesus Into Boy (+video)

By Zach Noble. Too inquisitive for this pastor?

He might just try to beat Jesus into you.

Bible Baptist Church in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, publishes its pastors’ sermons actively on Vimeo — and one of those sermons is coming back to reflect badly on the church.

Pastor Eric Dammann speaks in one sermon of a boy named Ben who was “a nice kid, but one of those — he was a real smart aleck. He was a bright kid, which didn’t help things — made him more dangerous.”

When Ben became too much of a “smart aleck” and asked too many questions about God, Dammann says he got violent with him. (Read more from this story HERE)

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After Boehner Claims He’s the ‘Most Anti-Establishment Speaker We’ve Ever had,’ Glenn Beck had an Idea

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Photo Credit: BreitbartBy Erica Ritz. After newly re-elected House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he is the “most anti-establishment speaker we’ve ever had” in response to criticism from conservatives, Glenn Beck issued a formal invitation to the speaker.

“Here’s my offer,” Beck said on his radio program Friday. “There aren’t many shows that appeal to the Tea Party crowd, the non-establishment GOP, as much as this one. … We are putting out an official invite to John Boehner to come down, spend an hour with me on radio or television. He can have his choice. … We’ll work it to his schedule. But I would love to spend an hour with John Boehner and have him show America [who] he really is.”

“John, you and your cronies can ask anyone,” Beck continued. “I have never sandbagged anyone. I always tell them in advance what they’re in for. … It will be a tough interview, but it will be a fair interview. I will let you speak, but it is going to be a tough interview.”

Beck has long railed against Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for being “establishment” Republicans who are disconnected from the needs of the American people. He even started a campaign to “defund the GOP.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Boehner Retaliation Haunts Republicans Who Supported Him

By Matthew Boyle. House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to retaliate, or exact “revenge” as Politico puts it, against at least two House members who voted against him is haunting Republicans who supported him conference-wide and sparking a discussion in the party about the role Boehner should play as Speaker—and Republican members should play in challenging his authority.

On Tuesday, the largest rebellion by members of a political party against a sitting House Speaker seeking re-election since the Civil War broke out on the House floor. Twenty-four House Republicans voted for someone other than Boehner. Declared candidates were Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Ted Yoho (R-FL), and Daniel Webster (R-FL). One other member, Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), voted “present.”

The mere fact that three candidates ran against Boehner from within his party, and that so many members voted against him—and many others are having trouble defending their votes for Boehner to angry constituents back home—gave even the Speaker himself some pause, he said at a press conference on Thursday.

“Listen, I’ve given some thought to this as you might imagine,” Boehner responded when asked why there’s so much conservative opposition to his speakership from both inside Congress and outside, where leaders such as Fox News’ Sean Hannity has called for Boehner to go many times. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Congress’ First Navy Seal: Obama’s Foreign Policy Supports Terrorism

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Photo Credit: WNDBy Bill McMorris. Congress’ first Navy SEAL says that President Obama’s “reckless” foreign policy has emboldened Islamic terrorists to carry out deadly attacks in France and Australia.

Freshman Rep. Ryan Zinke (R., Mont.), a retired Navy commander, said that the administration’s handling of terrorist threats in the Middle East and the failure to combat the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) in Syria has left Western countries vulnerable to terrorist strikes.

“This administration’s inaction and lack of commitment and resolve in fighting ISIS provides fuel for terrorism. It gives them hope that they can win and it has ramifications worldwide,” he said in a phone interview with the Washington Free Beacon on Friday.

Zinke said that the terrorist attack on a French satirical newspaper that left 12 dead on Wednesday, as well as the ongoing hostage crisis at a Kosher supermarket in Paris, are the result of failing to combat radical Islam abroad. (Read more about what congress’ first navy seal said HERE)

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This Army Ranger and MMA Fighter Sends Very Clear Message to Terrorists

By Michael Hausam. Tim Kennedy is a decorated Army Ranger, having served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a Mixed Marshall Arts fighter.

He’s also got a very strong opinion about the Islamic terrorists who committed the attack in Paris:

I HATE terrorists. I HATE cowards. Ironically they are one in the same. #ParisShooting #parisattack pic.twitter.com/RDcEg862L7

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) January 8, 2015

(Read more from this story HERE)

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Report: Hillary Clinton is Furious Over Bill’s Part in Latest Child Sex Scandal

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Photo Credit: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Creative CommonsHillary Clinton is “furious” at husband Bill Clinton, according to Washington insiders, after his name came up in the latest sex scandal involving his disgraced former pal ­Jeffrey Epstein.

Sources at the funeral of Mario Cuomo also said they saw a peevish-looking Hillary angrily “storm” past the former president after he dutifully waited for her by the door of St. Ignatius Loyola Church.

“Talk in Washington is that Hillary is furious with Bill about all this new information on Jeffrey Epstein,” said a DC insider familiar with both Epstein and the Clintons.

Bill’s name has popped up in 2011 court documents relating to Epstein after a woman said to be Virginia Roberts filed a bombshell suit alleging she was Epstein’s teen “sex slave” and paid $15,000 to bed Epstein’s pal, Britain’s Prince Andrew.

The 2011 court docs reveal that 21 email ­addresses and phone numbers for Bill and an aide were found in Epstein’s electronic black book, and that Bill “frequently flew” with Epstein on his private plane from 2002 to 2005. But the papers say he then “suddenly stopped, raising the suspicion that the friendship abruptly ended, perhaps because of events related to Epstein’s sexual abuse of children.” (Read more about Hillary being furious over Bill’s part in the child sex scandal HERE)

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Mysterious Booms have Oklahoma Rattled

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A spate of mysterious booms that has been shaking central Oklahoma returned for a second day Friday, again rattling houses and frightening livestock.

Oklahoma Geological Survey research seismologist Austin Holland said a series of booms, much like a sonic boom, rattled the Norman area starting at 11:19 a.m. Friday. Numerous others had been reported Thursday in the same area at about the same time.

Friday’s booms weren’t “quite as frequent” as Thursday’s, Holland said. “It’s quite interesting.”

The windows of Anthony Young’s home in the town that’s the outskirts of Oklahoma City rattled. “We thought some nut was out here, you know, with explosives,” Young told KOCO-TV. “It sounded like thunder, you could feel the ground shake, but it was nothing like an earthquake”

Both Holland and National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Day didn’t have an explanation for the booms. (Read more about the mysterious booms HERE)

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